Curses I did it again. But to be sure I don't do it again I'm already half way through the next chapter cus I worked all day today. Hopefully I can get it out by the end of the week.

Anyway I'm raising this to R because in this chapter I'm starting to talk about suicide and such which I may go into a bit more later on. But really it's just to be safe.

Thanks for all the new reviews from all the people who enjoy this and to the people who read this without reviewing too.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy but I really wish I did.

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Chapter 3: Revelations

Zell's eyes shot open in surprise. Someone was kissing him on his dining room floor. And not just any someone. Seifer Almasy was kissing him on his dining room floor.

For a second Zell's mind went into shock. What the hell did Seifer think he was doing. You certainly aren't supposed to crush the person you torment for years against the floor and give them a passionate kiss. Or was this his new way of saying thank you.

Un fucking likely. Using an elbow for leverage Zell pivoted and Seifer fell sideways his look of surprise now mirroring Zell's.

"Shit!" That was Seifer's only explanation as he scrambled upright and bolted out the door.

Zell watched unable to move as he processed what just happened. His week was just getting better and better.

Standing Zell walked to the door and looked out only to find that no one was out there. Wherever Seifer had gone he couldn't leave the Garden so he'd be back soon. Leaving the door unlocked Zell wandered back to his bedroom and picked up the picture that Seifer had mentioned earlier. He had really meant to put it away but the picture made him smile.

"I'm really not ready to go through this again Vigil. Especially not with him." Zell fell back on his bed and held the picture above his head, examining the figure in the frame. Vigil lay lazily against a tree, his short black hair being slightly ruffled in the wind and his brown eye's half lidded. His grin spread across his entire face illuminating the entire picture all the more. Sighing Zell pulled the picture to his chest and closed his eyes. "Definitely not with him."

Zell then laughed lightly and pulled the picture back out to arm's length. "Hehe. I'm talking to your picture again. I'm going crazy this time I just know it. I actually have Seifer Almasy staying with me. You'd laugh if you saw us now. He's much more timid and concerned about other people. He's much more likeable really."

Zell was interrupted by the opening of his bedroom door. Turning and expecting to see Seifer he got a nasty surprise when he met face to face with Ralhn, his old roommate.

"Zelly how are you? The door was unlocked and I just had to come in." Ralhn stood smiling a black briefcase hanging from his left hand as his right smoothed back his wild red hair. Zell admitted to himself for the thousandth time that the man before him was very attractive, but to bad he was also a few cards short of a Triple Triad deck.

Smiling warily Zell sat up straight and put the picture of Vigil on the bedside table. "Hi Ralhn. I'm fine thank you. How have you been holding up." Standing Zell moved away from the bed eyeing the briefcase in the other man's hand. That was a very dangerous briefcase and the thought of it's contents made Zell want to run for the nearest exit. Which was exactly what he was trying to do.

Ralhn casually sidestepped to stand in front of the door, his smile never faltering. "Why Zell I've been just wonderful. My new business is taking off and I'm just rolling in the money."

Still smiling his hands unclasped the briefcase and he began to search inside.

Meanwhile Zell eyed the bathroom door. If he could make it in there he'd probably be safe. Probably.

"I'm glad that prostitution is suiting you well." As soon as it was out of his mouth Zell new it was a mistake. You should never anger a crazy person.

Rahln's head snapped up, his face no longer as amicable as before. "What?" he hissed and suddenly he sprung forward. Zell's battle hardened skills allowed him to flip his attacker and handcuff him to the leg post of the bed in one move.

Now that he was safe from a psycho attack he backed up and looked at the open briefcase.

"You know that trying to tie me up and force me to have sex is rape right?"

Ralhn blinked up at him from his position on the floor and nodded. "Yes."

"You know you have a serious problem, right?"

"Yes"

"Okay just wondering." Shifting the briefcase farther away from the crazy individual on the floor Zell spotted an odd item amongst all the whips and other really weird devices. "Why do you have a rubber chicken in there?"

"Oh I'm so glad you asked because…"

Zell promptly cut him off, "Never mind I don't want to know." Zell left his room and picked up the phone calling the medical office. "I'm calling the doctor to come pick you up."

"Hello Doctor Kodowaki's office how may I be of help?" The doctor's chipper voice floated over the line and Zell mentally sighed.

"Hi Doctor it's just that… God damn Ralhn how did you manage to get out of those handcuffs?"

Ralhn stood in the doorway swinging the pair of handcuffs with a grin on his face. "I kept the key under my tongue this time in case my plan failed like last time."

"I see. Well the doctor's sending someone down." Zell opened the door wishing the aide would get there faster.

"But we haven't even got to the fun part yet." Ralhn leapt forward again and Zell dropped

the phone in order to flip him over his head resulting in a resounding crash.

"You made me break my table!"

"It's just a table."

"My mom gave me that table for my birthday awhile back."

"She'll get you a new one."

"It was hand crafted and one of a kind." Zell was ready to launch himself at Ralhn when a nervous aide walked through the door.

"Mr. Ralhn I'd appreciate it if you'd follow me to Dr. Kodowaki's office. Otherwise I'll have to call for the restraints again." The girl walked timidly into the room and collected Ralhn's briefcase.

Ralhn stood up from the wrecked table and pouted at Zell. "I guess I get to go to another counseling session. They really don't help but it's fun to mess with the doctor's mind. I'll be back Zelly." Ralhn then proceeded to leave the room as if he were floating on air.

The aide smiled timidly at him and bowed. "I really don't know how he got out again. He's not allowed to leave his room normally but Aura thought he needed a little time out and it got a little crazy. It won't happen again. I hope."

Zell thanked her and ushered her from his room promptly locking the door behind her.

Sighing he walked back to his room and fell onto his bed grabbing the picture of Vigil.

"I just have the best of luck don't I?" Zell pulled the picture close to his body and curled up into a ball on the bed. He had a lot of questions and no answers. Why were Squall and Quistis still weird around him? Why was he helping Seifer? And why couldn't he get the other blond out of his head.

Zell smirked slightly as he remembered one of Vigil's favorite sayings. 'With people you were always taking a leap of faith and having no clue where you landed, because there were no visible lines between love and hate.'

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Seifer had been sitting in the same corner of the dorm hallways for the longest time. The Sorceress had made a few visits already but her voice had stopped at least an hour ago. His own feelings on his screw up and his own insults were still pouring over him though.

'You're stupid. Just waltz in there insult him after he's been helping you out and then kiss him. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' He was going to add a few more stupids and other insults when a body suddenly landed in his lap.

Selphie smiled sweetly up at him and fluttered her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Selphie's smile only widened and she tilted her head. "Is this a lovers spat?"

Seifer blinked a few times and then shook his head. She really did stay set on something once she believed it was true. "Not quite."

"Then why are you sitting out here in the hall looking all rejected."

"Won't your boyfriend get jealous or upset if he sees you sitting in my lap?"

"No and don't change the subject."

Seifer sighed. He wouldn't be getting out of this any time soon unless he just told her the truth. "I kissed Zell," he mumbled.

The look on Selphie's face was so full of joy that he was kind of afraid. "I was right!" She lept up from his lap and dragged him up to his feet with her. 'When did she get strong enough to drag people to their feet?' He'd have to think about that later because as soon as he was up he was being dragged by a running Selphie down the hallway.

Bursting through a door farther down the hall she shouted, "Irvine I was right!"

Seifer stumbled in behind her and caught sight of a bewildered cowboy. "Right about what? And why did you drag Seifer in here?"

"Seifer's in love with Zell! I told you didn't I?" Seifer blushed at the comment and was slightly awed that Selphie had figured it out.

"Yes you did. But that still doesn't explain why you dragged him in here. Your not thinking about taping them like you tried on Nida and Tel are you?" Irvine brandished his turner in a reprimanding way and Selphie looked slightly guilty.

"Well I was but that's for later. And you had no objections when I taped those two girls together. I think it's cute."

"You think every couple is cute. If Rinoa paired off with her dog you'd make a tape of them. That whole row is full of different couples."

Seifer was confused to say the least. Was Selphie some sort of crazy voyeur who taped different people having sex. "What are you talking about?"

Surprised at their sudden interruption Selphie turned around. "Oh those are just my tapes. Whenever I see a cute couple I tape them for a day."

"You stalk them for a full day and tape them."

"Well I wouldn't say stalking. It's more of following inconspicuously." She smiled sweetly as if trying to back up her less then innocent comment.

"Yeah and with Nida and Tel she tried taping them in their room," Irvine said a small frown on his face.

Selphie, deciding that this conversation was just freaking Seifer out, steered the conversation in a different direction. "He kissed Zell and ran away."

Irvine looked over at the now flustered blond and quirked an eyebrow. "You ran out on him?"

"Well yeah I kissed him for no apparent reason and he hates me and…" Selphie cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Do you really think he hates you after everything he's done for you?"

Seifer pondered the question for a moment. Zell helped him when they found him outside and opened up his apartment so he could use it. "I guess not. But I still don't know if he even likes guys."

"He does," Irvine said nonchalantly turning back to his program on T.V.

"How do you now?"

Selphie smirked slightly and motioned for him to sit down. "This is going to take a while and going to be a bit hard for you to hear."

Seifer nodded and sat down hesitantly. "I'm ready"

"Zell was always throwing himself at the ladies when I first met him. So needless to say what happened certainly shocked me." Selphie giggled slightly and shook her head at her memories. "At the SeeD ball he threw himself in front of this one girl and told her that if she wouldn't dance with him he'd jump off the balcony. Needless to say he got a glass of champagne in the face."

"Well we did go a lot of places together and I got to know him better. He helped in trying stop the missiles that were sent at the Gardens and saved my life quite a few times. When we finally did make it to Balamb again after the whole missile incedent it was in Fishman's Horizon. We had a concert that I really threw together and Zell was on guitar. He captured a lot of attention from the females and males in the crowd and he decided to make his move on a girl. He'd had a crush on the library girl for a while and from what everyone else gathered she liked him too. When he asked her out on a date however she brushed him off. And that's when he met Vigil.

"Vigil was the sweetest guy I've ever met and he quickly became Zell's best friend who he confided in constantly. The night they shared their first kiss I was the one who found Zell and brought him back to mine and Rinoa's room. He was confused and a little afraid of his feelings for the other man and he didn't know what to do. So he poured his heart out to us two girls and we supported him."

"So Zell kinda did what I just did?" Seifer interrupted.

"Yeah but it was different though. He ran out because he was insecure about his own feeling but you ran out because you were insecure about Zell's feelings." Selphie patted his leg and offered a comforting smile.

"Okay continue."

"Well they had a few weeks off and on to explore their relationship and they took full advantage. Rinoa and I were constantly covering for them with the group and it worked well. Well in the end they both had duties to do and parted ways." At this point Selphie was dabbing at her eyes and the cowboy didn't look to good either.

"When he arrived back after Ultimecia was defeated Zell searched for him for about a week and when he got no results he went to Vigil's family. They told Zell that he died in the line of duty and Zell was crushed."

"Wow." Was all Seifer could muster. He didn't know that Zell had been through so much and probably wasn't even ready to feel anything for anyone else yet.

Selphie nodded, "Yeah. And on top of that when he got back and told everyone Quistis nearly freaked out and Squall pretty much stopped talking to him. They are the only two who aren't behind him. Even his mom supports him. It sucks when two of your close friends can just distance themselves that easily."

"So that was what that scene in the office was about."

Irvine nodded and smirked. "He sure got those two. I feel kinda bad saying this but they deserved it."

Seifer sighed and rested his head in his hands, absorbing everything Selphie had told him. Ultimecia had affected everyone in some way and in Zell's case it had it had completely torn a piece of him away.

"Your thinking about the war aren't you?" The cowboy posed it as a question but he knew for a fact what the other man was thinking.

"Yeah."

"It got to us all in different ways. Some worse then others." Irvine pulled Selphie close to him and thought about her problems from the war.

"I know what it is to hurt." Selphie whispered. "For the longest time I couldn't get the faces of the people I killed out of my mind. Images from when they died would constantly creep up when I was awake and in my dreams. When the war was happening I didn't really have a lot of chances to think about what I was doing. But when the war was over all the images that I had subconsciously been storing popped back up and I couldn't stop the voices for the longest time."

Seifer inwardly cringed at how close it was to his problems. "What did you do?"

"Me." She paused for a moment remembering. "Well my first solution was to find a way to drown them out. I did everything from exhausting myself to the point where I couldn't stay awake to using multiple drugs. It was all very unhealthy and could have resulted in my death. Which was my second solution"

Tears began to run down Selphie's face and she clung the cowboy next to her. "The only solution though was to face it and accept it. But I couldn't have done it without Irvine."

Irvine kissed her and held her close. "It was rough but we got through it together and I'd go through it again to keep her with me forever."

Seifer smiled crookedly but was still confused. "So how did Vigil die?"

Selphie and Irvine shared a look and Irvine swallowed nervously. Looking anywhere but at Seifer he answered, "You killed him."

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And that's the end of this chapter. It took a different swing then what I was expecting but I think it turned out good.

If you read this please drop a review.